Postal Services: West Yorkshire

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department plans to announce which post offices in West Yorkshire are due to close and the proposed dates of the closures.

Patrick McFadden: On 17 May, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the Government's response to the public consultation on the Post Office network.
	Post Office Ltd. is carrying this forward through 50 local area implementation plans over the next 15 months.
	No decisions have been made about any individual post offices in West Yorkshire. According to the timetable set out by Post Office Ltd., which is publicly available on its website, the local consultation on the West Yorkshire plan is scheduled to begin in April next year.

Postal Services

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made with the Post Office's network consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: On 17 May, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the Government's response to the public consultation on the Post Office network. Post Office Ltd. is now carrying that forward through around 50 local implementation plans.
	Consultations on the first area plans were launched on 2 October. This process will continue over the next 15 months.

Competition Policy

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department's policy is on promoting competition within the EU.

Stephen Timms: Our policy is for an effective, proactive competition regime, as key to tackling—for example—hard core cartels, and to encouraging innovation, quality and value for money. The UK and EU have among the best competition regimes in the world. We are committed to further improvement.

Renewable Energy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will consider the introduction of a feed-in tariff to support the development of renewable energy.

Patrick McFadden: The Government have considered the use of feed-in tariffs for this purpose. However, we remain firmly committed to the renewables obligation as the principal means of driving the deployment of large-scale renewable electricity in the UK. The renewables obligation has been successful in driving deployment, offers continuity of policy to maintain investor confidence and fits well with our pro-competitive approach to energy markets.

UK Competitiveness

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he plans to take to improve UK competitiveness.

Stephen Timms: The Government are committed to achieving continued long-term improvements in UK competitiveness, through raising long term productivity growth (and thereby reducing the productivity gap with our international competitors).
	This week's PBR and CSR illustrate this continued commitment with policies aimed at improving performance through the five drivers of productivity (investment, innovation, skills, enterprise and competition). These include increased investment in higher education and skills, continued development of a world class science base and simplifications to the tax system.
	This is underpinned by the Government's commitment to maintaining macroeconomic stability, which provides firms and individuals with the certainty needed to invest for the future.

Coats Viyella

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much the East Midlands Development Agency paid for the Coats Viyella site in Worksop; and how much has been spent on security for the site.

Stephen Timms: The East Midlands Development Agency (emda) purchased the Coats Viyella site for £576,000 on 30th March 2001. Between 30th March 2001 and 25th April 2006, when "emda" owned the site, they spent £223,000 on its security.

Departments: Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what accounts directions were issued by his Department's predecessors in financial year  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Stephen Timms: Under the Government Resource and Accounts Act 2000 HM Treasury issue accounts directions to Departments, pension schemes and agencies and under the Government Trading Fund Act 1973 to trading funds.
	The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, operates a policy for the issue of accounts directions, where they remain existent until superceded by a new direction.
	For the years 2005-06 and 2006-07 the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has issued accounts directions for the form and content of resource and other accounts to the following sponsored bodies. Where an existing accounts direction is in place this has also been noted.
	 2005-06
	 Issued Accounts Directions
	Arts and Humanities Research Council.
	Advantage West Midlands Regional Development Agency.
	East Midlands Regional Development Agency.
	East of England Regional Development Agency.
	North West Regional Development Agency.
	One North East Regional Development Agency.
	South East England Regional Development Agency.
	South West of England regional Development Agency.
	Yorkshire Forward Regional Development Agency.
	Civil Nuclear Police Authority.
	Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
	 Existing Account Directions
	Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
	Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils.
	Economic and Social Research Council.
	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
	Medical Research Council.
	Natural Environment Research Council.
	Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.
	Research Council Pension Schemes.
	British Hallmarking Council.
	Coal Authority.
	Competition Commission.
	Competition Service.
	Consumer Council for Postal Services.
	Design Council.
	Gas and Electricity Consumer Council.
	Hearing Aid Council.
	National Consumer Council.
	Simpler Trade Procedures Board.
	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
	 2006-07
	 Issued Accounts Directions
	Arts and Humanities Research Council.
	Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
	Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils.
	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
	Economic and Social Research Council.
	Medical Research Council.
	Natural Environment Research Council.
	Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.
	Research Council Pension Schemes.
	 Existing Account Directions
	Advantage West Midlands Regional Development Agency.
	East of England Regional Development Agency.
	East Midlands Regional Development Agency.
	North West Regional Development Agency.
	One North East Regional Development Agency.
	South East England Regional Development Agency.
	South West of England regional Development Agency.
	Yorkshire Forward Regional Development Agency.
	British Hallmarking Council.
	Civil Nuclear Police Authority.
	Coal Authority.
	Competition Commission.
	Competition Service.
	Consumer Council for Postal Services.
	Design Council.
	Gas and Electricity Consumer Council.
	Hearing Aid Council.
	National Consumer Council.
	Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
	Simpler Trade Procedures Board.
	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.

Departments: ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many new  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistant devices his Department and its predecessors have bought for the use of departmental Ministers following each Cabinet reshuffle since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department has not purchased any new laptops, mobile telephones or personal digital assistant devices as a consequence of any Cabinet reshuffle. The Department recovers assigned ICT equipment from departing ministerial teams and reallocates the devices accordingly. If insufficient devices for ministerial teams are not available at the time of a cabinet reshuffle the Department utilises devices that are within the reserve capacity held by the Department's ICT suppliers as contingency and recovered devices are returned to this capacity pool. The Department's arrangements with its ICT suppliers are structured such that this capacity is not charged for until used and the net effect on the ICT budget as a consequence is zero.

Children: Autism

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the amount of money provided for in the Transition Support programme which will be spent on helping young people with  (a) autism and  (b) Asperger's syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: We are committed to introducing the Transition Support programme over the next three years, with £19 million secured as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement for the Department. In the "Aiming high for disabled children: better support for families" report published in May, we acknowledged that children and young people with more complex needs require more carefully prepared and intricate packages of support as they transfer into adulthood.
	We have not undertaken any estimate of indicative spending on young people on the autistic spectrum. The focus of the programme is not to target by type of special educational need or disability but to enable and support all disabled young people to move towards and on to a new stage of life.
	To make initial progress, the Department will be publishing transition guidance jointly with Department of Health later this month, to support local agencies to better support disabled young people to make the transition to adulthood.

Departments: Publicity

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government's actual and planned spend on promotional and advertising campaigns for 2007-08 is follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 (i) Television 1,500,000 
			 (ii) Radio 305,000 
			 (iii) Print media 5,552,080 
		
	
	Publicity budgets are not held centrally and the budgets for 2008-9 have not yet been agreed.

Fire Services: Quedgeley

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the future of fire control at the tri-service emergency headquarters in Quedgeley.

John Healey: The Gloucestershire tri-service centre will continue to house staff from all three emergency services and support tri-service working after the fire and rescue service control is moved to the South West regional control centre.. The Government are committed to creating a new national network of nine resilient regional control centres which will enhance the ability of the Fire and Rescue Service to respond to major incidents and natural disasters in a coordinated, efficient and effective manner, which will better protect the public. The new regional control centres will however build on the valuable lessons learnt on joint working from the tri-service pilots, including the recent experience of dealing with flooding in Gloucestershire.

Immigration: Housing

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the proportion of total housing demand which would result from the Office of National Statistics' assumption of long-term net migration of 190,000 each year for the number of years for which forecasts are available; and what number of housing units this proportion would represent.

Iain Wright: An updated estimate of the amount of household growth attributable to net migration will be part of the next major release, due in 2008, of the Communities and Local Government's household projections. The household projection updates follow the rolling programme of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) population projections. ONS is due to publish, on 23 October, the 2006-based national projections that include the assumption of long-term annual net migration into the UK of 190,000. In 2008, ONS will publish sub-national population projections on this 2006-base which will feed into the next major update of the household projections. These new household projections will also take account of the recent trends in household formation and of the Office for National Statistics latest projections of marital status and cohabitation.

Departments: ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many new  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistant devices his Department bought for the use of departmental Ministers following each Cabinet reshuffle since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department does not record this information on a year by year basis. Additionally, when an individual no longer requires a piece of equipment, it is often passed to another user. Therefore, it is not possible to provide a breakdown by departmental Minister.

Departments: BAe Systems

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1617W, on Departments: BAe Systems, for what reasons the annual figure for applicants given differ from those in the answer of 5 July 2007,  Official Report, 1132W.

Des Browne: My answer given on 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1132W, noted that the figures had been compiled from manual historic records and that it was therefore possible that some cases might not be included in the figures. Further research of records allowed my answer of 3 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1617W, to give a fuller picture of the applications in each year.

Departments: Publicity

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

Derek Twigg: Not all the information is held in the format requested.
	The projected spending on recruit advertising and marketing campaigns for the Armed Forces for financial year (FY) 2007-08 is detailed in the following table. It should be noted that these figures take no account of Departmental Public Relations activities or Veterans awareness campaigns.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Television  Radio  Print media  Total 
			 Naval Service 2.600 0.020 0.450 3.070 
			 Army 9.403 0.800 1.100 11.303 
			 RAF 2.748 0.336 0.589 3.673 
		
	
	Figures for FY 2008-09 are not yet available as the services are in the process of preparing budget requirements for next year and details will not be confirmed until March 2008.
	The projected spending for MOD civilian advertising and promotional campaigns organised centrally for FY 2007-08 is £1.1 million and for FY 2008-09 it is £1.5 million. It is not possible to break down these costs further.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have received treatment for physical or psychological injuries in the NHS in the last six months.

Derek Twigg: The MOD collates statistics of those personnel evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan to the Royal Centre of Defence Medicine (RCDM) located at University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust (UHBFT) which is the main receiving hospital trust for those service personnel who are medically evacuated from overseas. In the period 1 April until 30 September 2007 RCDM had admitted 197 UK service patients from Iraq and 222 UK service patients from Afghanistan to UHBFT and other NHS hospitals in the Birmingham area. The figures relate to patients aeromedically evacuated from theatre which are as a result of battle injuries, non battle injuries and disease. They do not include patients being reviewed or returning for further surgery following earlier treatment in the UK. The breakdown of these figures is set out as follows.
	
		
			   Iraq  Afghanistan 
			 Battle field injuries 88 111 
			 Non-battle field injuries 70 59 
			 Disease 39 52 
			 Total 197 222 
		
	
	Other less seriously injured patients may be seen at other NHS facilities, however no central records are held and accurate information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However on average, the total number of military in-patients in NHS hospitals across the UK is, typically, about 60 to 75 for all illnesses and injuries, however sustained.
	The MOD does not normally use the NHS for treatment of psychological injuries. Military patients suffering from psychological injuries are treated either by mental health professionals deployed in theatre or at one of 15 MOD Military Departments of Community Mental Health or, for those requiring in-patient treatment, at private facilities under contract from the Priory Group.

Energy: Conservation

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to exercise his powers pursuant to section 4(3) of the Sustainable Energy Act 2003 to give an energy efficiency direction to some or all of those energy conservation authorities that have achieved energy efficiency improvements in their domestic housing stock of less than 20 per cent. for the period 1 April 1996 to 31 March 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Government policy to support and incentivise increased local authority action on climate change is outlined in the 2006 UK Climate Change Programme and the 2006 Local Government White Paper. In addition, the Government have undertaken a review of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) to assess its success in delivering improvements in energy efficiency in the household sector over the last 10 years. DEFRA has published its review and is seeking the views of stakeholders on it's findings and options for the future of the HECA.

Paper: Waste Disposal

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his timetable is for issuing guidance to local authorities with regards to strategies for dealing with waste paper.

Joan Ruddock: The Government's "Waste Strategy for England 2007" set a new national target for reducing the amount of household waste not reused, recycled or composted, and increased national targets for the percentage of household waste recycled and composted. It also set a target for the amount of municipal waste recovered.
	Local authorities also have limits on the amount of biodegradable municipal waste, including waste paper, that they may collectively landfill.
	The Waste Resources and Action Programme (WRAP) works closely with local authorities to provide advice on recycling practice, including paper and other recyclates.
	In addition, the British Standards Institution, working jointly with WRAP, the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, the Confederation of Paper Industries, and the Environmental Services Association, has created a Publicly Available Specification (BSI PAS 105) entitled "Recovered Paper Sourcing and Quality for UK End Markets". Published in July 2007, this is designed to boost the market for recovered paper by improving standards of production, and increasing confidence and understanding between local authorities, reprocessors, and potential end-users.
	A copy of BSI PAS 105 has been sent to every local authority in the UK. It will also be placed in the Library of the House.

Pirbright Laboratory: Inspections

Richard Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times the Institute for Animal Health sites at Pirbright and Compton were inspected in each of the last five years; who carried out these inspections; what results and recommendations were made following each of these visits; and whether either of the sites have suffered flooding which resulted in the deliberate or accidental release of hazardous waste during that period.

Jonathan R Shaw: During the last five years, the Institute for Animal Health (IAH) in Pirbright was inspected by DEFRA in November 2003, August 2004, September 2005 and December 2006. Inspections were carried out by senior DEFRA veterinarians with specialist knowledge of laboratory containment, exotic animal diseases and the requirements for licensing laboratories under the Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO) 1998. The inspections were designed to provide an overview of general biosecurity, and to focus on new or refurbished areas, particular areas where changes are proposed or areas where particular biosecurity issues had been identified. Where any particular biosecurity issues were identified, the laboratory was required to submit action plans addressing the issues identified and, once agreed, implement them. These action plans addressed minor issues including management and personnel, site security, ventilation, waste handling, storage of pathogens and documentation. The progress of these plans was closely monitored. No major biosecurity issues were identified during these inspections.
	At IAH Compton, DEFRA works with other enforcement authorities and liaison with these authorities ensures that DEFRA is aware of any significant issues. We are aware that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has undertaken two inspections at IAH Compton this year, one of which resulted in an improvement notice for the ventilation system. Reports from inspections at Compton, undertaken by DEFRA during the last five years, are not held centrally. I have asked officials to gather the information and I will write to the hon. Member when it is available. I will also arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	DEFRA was not notified of any issues in relation to flooding at either site which resulted in the deliberate or accidental release of hazardous waste. A HSE-led investigation into potential breaches of biosecurity at Pirbright following the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Surrey, included an assessment of the potential role of flooding in the release of the live virus. This report is available from the DEFRA website and the Libraries of the House.

African Union: EU External Relations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1464W, on African Union: EU external relations, when invitations will be issued to the EU-AU Summit in Portugal; and what UK Government policy is on the attendance will be issued of the President of Zimbabwe.

David Miliband: holding answer 17 September 2007
	The EU Presidency has not yet confirmed when invitations to the EU/Africa Summit will be issued.
	Our policy on the attendance of President Mugabe has been made clear to the Presidency and to our European and African partners, My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has publicly stated that he will not attend the Summit if President Mugabe goes. We believe the EU/Africa summit can and should deliver progress on peace and security, growth, development, governance, climate change and the Millennium Development Goals. If President Mugabe were to attend, his presence would overshadow the Summit, undermining the substantive business and dominating the media profile of the event. We are working with the Presidency and African partners to find an alternative solution.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average annual cost falling on UK funds has been of running the Governor's residence in each overseas territory over the last five years; how much of each figure was accounted for by  (a) rent,  (b) other running costs,  (c) staffing and  (d) entertainment and hospitality; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: It is the responsibility of Overseas Territories Governments to provide and maintain accommodation for Governors. However, depending on local circumstances, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) pays for some maintenance and other costs, e.g. FCO required security enhancements. The approximate average annual running costs falling to the FCO for Governors' residences in each Territory are listed in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Territory  Rent  Other running costs  Staffing  Entertainment and hospitality 
			 Anguilla 0 31,557 6,000 14,610 
			 Bermuda 0 0 0 0 
			 British Virgin Islands 0 23,500 11,833 19,390 
			 Cayman Islands 0 0 0 0 
			 Falkland Islands 0 6,400 1,000 25,036 
			 Gibraltar 0 211,500 300,000 22,000 
			 Montserrat 0 31,571 5,710 29,861 
			 Pitcairn Island (Governor resides in Wellington) 0 0 0 0 
			 St. Helena 0 0 0 0 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 0 0 37,951

Democratic Republic of Congo: Primates

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the fate of rare mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park.

Meg Munn: Officials from our Embassy in Kinshasa lobbied the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government in August on its duty and international obligations to protect all of its wildlife., including mountain gorillas. We have also reminded the DRC authorities that wildlife populations bring sustainable development and economic benefits, especially for establishing a viable tourist industry. My hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Jim Knight) lobbied the Congolese Minister of the Environment on the need to protect vulnerable species during his visit to DRC in 2005.
	We are urging the DRC government to do more to control the activities of the militia groups that are reportedly killing wild animals including gorillas in eastern DRC. We will continue to monitor the situation and raise with the DRC government its duty to protect all forms of wildlife.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by his Department on  (a) staff and  (b) communication training in the last 12 months.

Meg Munn: During the last 12 months £8,834,098 was spent by the Human Resources Directorate in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on staff training. These are direct training costs only.
	Policy and technical training provided by other FCO Directorates, individual home departments and overseas posts has not been included because collating this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	During the last 12 months £222,594 was spent by the Human Resources Directorate on written and oral communications training.
	This figure does not include media, press and public affairs training for which a budget of £225,000 has been allocated for this financial year (FY) and approximately £200,000 was spent in FY 2006-07. Nor does it include training provided by individual overseas posts or home departments and directorates because collating this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Diego Garcia: Rendition

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government took in assessing the assurances of the US authorities over the non-use of Diego Garcia for the rendition of detainees suspected of involvement in terrorism, with reference to the answer of 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2076W, on British Indian Ocean Territory; what contribution the UK made to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights reports on secret detentions and illegal transfers of detainees involving Council of Europe member states; what steps the Government took to ascertain whether the  (a) processing and  (b) other administration relating to the rendition of detainees has been undertaken on Diego Garcia by US agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Under the 1966 Exchange of Notes between the US and UK, the detention of non-US and non-UK nationals who are not serving members of the US military, cannot be detained without notification to the Government.
	There is no US facility for foreign detainees on Diego Garcia. The only civilian detention centre is at the small UK-run police station.
	The US authorities have repeatedly given us assurances that no detainees, prisoners of war or any other persons in this category are being held on Diego Garcia, or have at any time passed in transit through Diego Garcia or its territorial waters or airspace. This was most recently confirmed during the 2007 US/UK Political Military Talks held in Washington on 11 and 13 September.
	The Government co-operated fully with the Council of Europe's inquiry last year, together with an inquiry on similar issues by the European Parliament. At that time the Government explained that we have carried out extensive searches of official records and found no evidence of detainees being rendered through the UK, or Overseas Territories, since 1997, where there were substantial grounds to believe there was a real risk of torture.

EU Reform Treaty

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that the bill to give effect to the terms of the European Treaty will be drafted in such a way as to ensure that amendments requiring a referendum to be held before the enactment of the bill are within the scope of the bill.

Jim Murphy: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him during Foreign and Commonwealth Office oral questions on 9 October 2007,  Official Report, column 159.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer the letter of 6 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr. M. K. J. Iqbal.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Ministerial Support Unit telephoned my right hon. Friend's office at the House on 20 August to request that his letter of 6 August be sent again, as the enclosures referred to in this letter were missing. A further letter was not received.
	Officials from UKvisas subsequently telephoned my right hon. Friend's office on 9 October to confirm that Mr. M. K. J. Iqbal's wife had successfully appealed against her refused visa application, which was overturned on 20 September. It was agreed that a written reply would not be necessary.

Doctors: Career Structure

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the  (a) Library,  (b) Vote Office and  (c) post to the hon. Member for Worthing West the full report, including annexes and appendices, of the 12 July final report of the Douglas review on Doctors' training posts and modernising medical careers.

Ann Keen: The report of the Douglas review on modernising medical careers including annexes and appendices was placed in the Library on 6 August. A copy has been posted to the hon. Member for Worthing West on 10 October 2007.
	Further copies can be made available to hon. Members via the vote office.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 12 hospitals took part in the internal departmental report on overseas visitors completed in April 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The national health service bodies that took part in the project which resulted in the internal report in question, did so on the understanding that the document was an informal piece of work for the Department, and that their anonymity would be guaranteed. Several of the NHS trusts involved have specifically asked for that anonymity to be maintained. That being the case, it would be inappropriate to release details of any of the NHS bodies involved.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's press release of 16 August 2007 entitled Government announces advanced supply contracts for pandemic influenza vaccine, how many doses of pandemic vaccine have been secured as part of the advanced supply contracts; and in which country the pandemic vaccines will be manufactured in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Dawn Primarolo: As announced by the Department 16 August 2007, advanced supply contracts have been put in place with two companies, Baxter Healthcare and Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK). The contracts allow the United Kingdom to purchase up to 120 million doses of pandemic specific vaccine should a pandemic occur. The exact number of doses will be determined by the strength of the virus and its impact on the population, which will only be known once the virus has emerged. Pandemic specific vaccines will be manufactured at Baxter Healthcare's facilities in Austria and the Czech Republic, and at GSK's site in Germany.

Influenza: Disease Control

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1332W, on influenza: disease control, on what date he plans to publish the National Framework.

Dawn Primarolo: The national framework for responding to an influenza pandemic and the supporting guidance is due to be published in the autumn.

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons  (a) the number of scientific procedures on living animals in 2006 recorded as being for the purpose of food additives rose by 368.4 per cent. on the previous year and  (b) the number of procedures recorded as being for the purpose of other foodstuffs rose by 30.2 per cent. on the previous year; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: In 2005 the food additives tested were flavourings, colorants and plant extracts. In 2006 they included dietary supplements, stabilisers, sweeteners, colorants and flavouring agents. All of the work in both years was conducted to fulfil regulatory requirements. Changes from year to year depend on the requirements of industry and the regulators concerned with the safety of the products. All of the "other foodstuff" testing in 2005 and 2006 was conducted to fulfil regulatory safety requirements mainly for marine biotoxins testing. Part of the increase in procedures in 2006 involved validation of a non-animal alternative for pre-screening for marine biotoxins testing as a result of which it is likely that live animal use for these purposes will begin to fall in 2007.

Domestic Violence: Entry Clearances

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain on the grounds of domestic violence have been  (a) accepted and  (b) rejected since the introduction of the domestic violence rule.

Liam Byrne: Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) on the grounds of domestic violence (DV) was brought within the rules on 18 December 2002. During the period 18 December 2002 to 30 September 2007 1043(1) applications were granted and 2101(1) refused.
	Data are provisional management information (MI) produced by the Border and Immigration Agency. They are not National Statistics.
	(1 )Data does not include dependants.

Domestic Violence: Entry Clearances

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time was for the final determination of immigration cases involving domestic violence at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The average time for determination of applications for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) on the grounds of domestic violence (DV), decided between 18 December 2002 and 30 September 2007, was sixty-one days. This is provisional management information (MI) produced by the Border and Immigration Agency. It is not a National Statistic.

Emergency Calls

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the centralised emergency services number 999 following the impact of the recent week's events on the number of calls; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	Operational issues relating to the 999 service fall to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Officials from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform played an active role in the response by the Telecoms industry to the flooding during the summer. I followed the situation closely and met with representatives of the telecommunications industry and with some of the businesses impacted by the floods. One of the key objectives of the telecoms industry response was to maintain the 999 service and the availability of the service to the public was not seriously affected by the conditions. The situation did lead to increased demand on the service and the emergency services were pressed in handling this increased number of calls.

Foreign Workers: Romania

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she next plans to assess revising restrictions on workers from Romania and Bulgaria wishing to work in the United Kingdom.

Liam Byrne: The Government are carrying out a stock-take of the restrictions on workers from Romania and Bulgaria and has committed to making an announcement within 12 months of them coming into effect.

Genetics: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been added to the National DNA Database in each month since inception, broken down by  (a) category of offence and  (b) stage reached in the criminal justice system; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The number of profiles relating to individuals added to the database each month for all police forces since its foundation in 1995 is shown in the following table.
	A certain number of profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates, i.e. a profile for a person has been loaded on more than one occasion (one reason for this is that the person gave different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests). At present the replication rate is 13.7 per cent., i.e. the number of people whose details are loaded is 13.7 per cent. fewer than the number of profiles. However, as the replication rate has varied over time, an exact figure for the number of people who have been added to the database in each month since 1995 cannot be given.
	The National DNA Database records the DNA profile for a particular individual. It does not hold data on arrest and criminal records. This information is held on the Police National Computer. To produce figures for the category of offence in relation to which the DNA sample was taken would require cross searching of PNC and the NDNAD, which could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	For the same reason, it is not possible to give precise figures for the stage in the criminal justice system at which someone had a DNA sample taken. However, under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, the police have the power to take DNA and fingerprints from anyone arrested for a recordable offence and detained in a police station, and retain them indefinitely; and taking a DNA sample is now a normal part of handling of arrested persons in the custody suite. So it is expected that in most cases the sample would have been taken when the person was being dealt with in the custody suite after arrest.
	
		
			  Profiles loaded  Subject 
			  1995-96  
			 April 0 
			 May 148 
			 June 3,205 
			 July 1,872 
			 August 1,057 
			 September 635 
			 October 4,035 
			 November 3,551 
			 December 2,196 
			 January 5,752 
			 February 6,257 
			 March 4,899 
			 Total 33,607 
			   
			  1996-97  
			 April 4,433 
			 May 5,482 
			 June 4,641 
			 July 5,370 
			 August 4,075 
			 September 6,426 
			 October 8,398 
			 November 8,939 
			 December 5,334 
			 January 9,316 
			 February 9,554 
			 March 8,470 
			 Total 80,438 
			   
			  1997 -9 8  
			 April 7,740 
			 May 10,310 
			 June 10,444 
			 July 11,692 
			 August 9,491 
			 September 10,570 
			 October 10,698 
			 November 10,617 
			 December 9,017 
			 January 9,175 
			 February 11,208 
			 March 18,819 
			 Total 129,781 
			   
			  1998 -9 9  
			 April 14,272 
			 May 13,428 
			 June 12,527 
			 July 15,021 
			 August 18,339 
			 September 23,747 
			 October 24,676 
			 November 23,032 
			 December 24,609 
			 January 35,772 
			 February 28,752 
			 March 22,255 
			 Total 256,430 
			   
			  1999-2000  
			 April 15,754 
			 May 18,380 
			 June 15,057 
			 July 16,400 
			 August 17,343 
			 September 15,662 
			 October 17,510 
			 November 16,976 
			 December 12,680 
			 January 18,698 
			 February 25,161 
			 March 30,108 
			 Total 219,729 
			   
			  2000-01  
			 April 19,857 
			 May 25,579 
			 June 30,168 
			 July 32,212 
			 August 34,682 
			 September 34,115 
			 October 35,125 
			 November 34,626 
			 December 28,393 
			 January 37,699 
			 February 37,785 
			 March 46,319 
			 Total 396,560 
			   
			  20001-02  
			 April 34,632 
			 May 30,051 
			 June 34,128 
			 July 35,774 
			 August 34,320 
			 September 42,856 
			 October 49,164 
			 November 50,217 
			 December 44,651 
			 January 55,046 
			 February 53,328 
			 March 39,829 
			 Total 503,996 
			   
			  2002-03  
			 April 42,149 
			 May 51,857 
			 June 33,909 
			 July 44,801 
			 August 42,251 
			 September 38,847 
			 October 39,792 
			 November 38,055 
			 December 35,536 
			 January 40,086 
			 February 35,039 
			 March 46,197 
			 Total 488,519 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 April 33,322 
			 May 38,871 
			 June 37,856 
			 July 45,359 
			 August 38,375 
			 September 36,603 
			 October 38,108 
			 November 35,069 
			 December 33,149 
			 January 39,335 
			 February 42,220 
			 March 57,030 
			 Total 475,297 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 April 36,877 
			 May 32,507 
			 June 42,825 
			 July 43,291 
			 August 49,153 
			 September 31,832 
			 October 48,573 
			 November 49,035 
			 December 48,064 
			 January 44,039 
			 February 45,926 
			 March 48,996 
			 Total 521,118 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 April 50,577 
			 May 52,704 
			 June 53,404 
			 July 50,578 
			 August 54,437 
			 September 64,118 
			 October 61,915 
			 November 67,869 
			 December 55,152 
			 January 63,246 
			 February 70,878 
			 March 70,267 
			 Total 715,145 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 April 49,407 
			 May 70,413 
			 June 55,778 
			 July 66,370 
			 August 78,647 
			 September 64,478 
			 October 59,470 
			 November 63,636 
			 December 48,701 
			 January 55,135 
			 February 54,461 
			 March 55,968 
			 Total 722,464 
			   
			  207-08  
			 April 50,077 
			 May 54,718 
			 June 49,701 
			 July 55,273 
			 August 49,025 
			 September 48,632 
			 Total 307,426

Genetics: Databases

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether DNA records of citizens who have not been convicted of a crime are accessible by all police forces nationally; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: A non-convicted individual's DNA record will be accessed by the police only if it matches a record subsequently loaded from a crime scene or another individual.
	The purpose of the National DNA Database (NDNAD) is to hold a record of a person's DNA which can be matched against DNA taken from crime scenes. The database can also match DNA taken from different crime scenes. The police do not have direct access to the records on the database, and receive reports on people on it only if their DNA matches DNA from a crime scene. This is true both for those convicted of a crime and those not convicted. Matches between two apparently different individuals may also occur—the usual reason for this is that a profile for a person has been loaded on more than one occasion (one reason for this is that the person gave different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests).
	There may be an innocent explanation for someone's presence at a crime scene, so a match report is simply a piece of intelligence leading to further inquiries. If a match between DNA from a crime scene and DNA from an individual is found, a report of the match is sent to the police forces which loaded the crime scene data and the individual data, to make further inquiries.

Imports: Primates

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 766W, on imports: primates, whether the Nafovanny Breeding Centre in Vietnam has been accepted as a source of non-human primates for the UK for a further two-year period; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: Nafovanny is currently acceptable to the Home Office as a source of non-human primates for use in regulated procedures in the UK. The acceptance is valid until 31 August 2008. All overseas breeding centres wishing to supply non-human primates to the UK for scientific use are subject to periodic review and visits by the Animals Scientific Procedures Inspectorate to ensure that standards of animal care and accommodation meet acceptable standards.

Personation

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the incidence of identity theft.

Meg Hillier: Identity theft and the fraudulent use of identity details is an extremely serious issue, and in 2003, we set up a public-private sector work programme to tackle all aspects of this problem.
	Since this time, we have strengthened legislation and introduced tougher criminal penalties, provided more powers to share data to combat fraud, sought to ensure better co-ordination in prosecuting fraudsters, and have worked extensively to raise public awareness of this issue. Our plans for a National Identity Scheme will provide people with a highly secure means of protecting their identity and help citizens to prove their identities easily, quickly, simply and with vastly improved security.
	The range of activities that we are undertaking are vital if we are to protect ourselves from the misuse of identity through organised crime, illegal immigration and working, and fraudulent access to public services.

Work Permits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many farm workers from abroad overstayed their work permit in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: Since the dismantling of embarkation controls no Government of the United Kingdom has been able to say with accuracy how many irregular migrants are present in the country, and this remains the case.
	On 7 March 2007 the Border and Immigration Agency published its enforcement strategy "Enforcing the Rules". This strategy sets out how the Border and Immigration Agency intends to make it increasingly difficult for individuals to continue to reside in the UK, who have no lawful basis to do so. Copies of the document are placed in the Libraries of both houses. It is also available to view at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/aboutus/enforcementstrategy.pdf

Constituencies: Telephones

Stephen Williams: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many constituency office telephone accounts are settled by the Fees Office; and what estimate the Commission has made of the potential costs of the imposition of a £4.50 non-direct debit charge per account by BT.

Helen Goodman: I have been asked to reply.
	Members have a choice whether to ask the Department of Finance and Administration to settle constituency telephone accounts, including those for BT, or to pay them direct and reclaim the expenditure. In 2006-07 some 365 hon. Members had one or more accounts settled by the Department of Finance and Administration each of which would in future incur the new quarterly charge. On this basis the annual cost of the imposition of the charge of £4.50 is estimated to be approximately £20,000.

Departments: General Elections

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what contingency preparations the House authorities made for the possibility of a general election being held in autumn 2007; and what the costs were of those preparations.

Nick Harvey: Following the 2005 general election, the House authorities put in place revised arrangements for any future election. In bringing these arrangements to a higher state of readiness for the possibility of an autumn election a number of planning and other meetings were held. The cost of these was the staff time involved. This was not recorded.
	Expenditure was incurred on:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Printing of revised dissolution arrangements 115 
			 Bringing a guidebook for new Members of Parliament to a publication-ready state 4,500 
		
	
	It is planned to use both these documents at the next election whenever it occurs.
	Coincidentally, in early October, the House authorities set up part of the temporary accommodation which is planned to be used by new Members immediately after an election. This activity had been scheduled for several months as a test of part of the post-election arrangements. The cost was £6,085.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Minerals

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what representations his Department has made to urge the Congolese government to ensure that the current review process for mineral concessions and contracts in Democratic Republic of Congo is carried out effectively and transparently;
	(2)  what representations his Department has made to the Congolese government in relation to the participation of civil society and parliament in the review process for mineral concessions and contracts in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gareth Thomas: DFID and the FCO have raised concerns about the transparency of the review of mineral concessions with the relevant DRC authorities on numerous occasions. My colleague, Baroness Vadera, raised the mining review with the Vice-Minister of Mines during her recent visit to Kinshasa, and underlined the importance of transparency. We are not directly involved in the work of the DRC Government Commission which is undertaking the mining review, but fully recognise its importance for the future of the minerals sector. The review is vital for public confidence in DRC and investor confidence globally. While we believe that it is for the DRC government to decide who should be involved in the review process, we will continue to use our channels with government, the private sector and civil society to push for the commission to carry out its work in the most transparent way possible.

Developing Countries

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's strategy is for  (a) low-income countries and  (b) middle-income countries.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) set out what the UK Government will do to reduce world poverty over the next five years in DFID's White Paper: Making governance work for the poor http://www.dfid.gov.uk/wp2006/ for both low income countries (LICs) and middle income countries (MICs).
	DFID's commitment MICs can be found in more detail in the middle income countries strategy 2005-2008
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/achievingmdgmidincome.pdf
	Under DFID's public service agreement (PSA) 2005-2008 the Department planned to allocate 90 per cent. of its bilateral programme to LICs to support them reaching the millennium development goals (MDGs). DFID is meeting its objective.

International Assistance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will ensure that his Department measures progress towards Millennium Development Goal one against malnutrition rates as well as income.

Shahid Malik: Progress on all Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is measured annually by a set of indicators produced by the United Nations (UN). DFID draws on these data to monitor progress on all MDG targets and sub-targets, including progress on malnutrition rates.

Burglary and Drugs: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of those convicted for burglary committed in Suffolk were given a custodial sentence in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what proportion of those convicted for supplying illegal drugs in Suffolk were given a custodial sentence in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The information requested is in the following table, it relates to persons sentenced in Suffolk. However, it is not possible to say from statistics held centrally how many of the offences were committed in Suffolk.
	2006 data will be available towards the end of the year.
	
		
			  Percentage of persons sentenced( 1)  to immediate custody for burglary and supplying illegal drugs( 2)  given immediate custody in Suffolk( 3)  1995-2005 
			  Percentage 
			   Offence 
			   Burglary (residential and non-residential)  Supplying illegal drugs( 2) 
			   Total sentenced  Total sentenced immediate custody  Proportion given immediate custody  Total sentenced  Total sentenced immediate custody  Proportion given immediate custody 
			 1995 350 95 27.1 28 11 39.3 
			 1996 319 122 38.2 45 26 57.8 
			 1997 310 119 38.4 27 17 63.0 
			 1998 311 115 37.0 52 29 55.8 
			 1999 271 123 45.4 36 18 50.0 
			 2000 239 111 46.4 30 15 50.0 
			 2001 210 96 45.7 21 13 61.9 
			 2002 235 89 37.9 14 4 28.6 
			 2003 250 96 38.4 27 15 55.6 
			 2004 260 88 33.8 47 38 80.9 
			 2005 248 89 35.9 45 25 55.6 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) Limited to the offence of supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug. (3) Sentenced in Suffolk but offence not necessarily committed in Suffolk.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice

Departments: ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of buying new  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistant devices for new Ministers in his Department following each Cabinet reshuffle since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: If laptops are allocated to Ministers, they are usually from a central pool held within the Ministry's central IT Department, and are returned to the pool when no longer required for re-allocation.
	There were no purchases of laptops, mobile telephones or personal digital assistant devices for new Ministers following the cabinet reshuffle earlier this year. Information prior to the latest reshuffle is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Driving Offences

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) people (i) over the age of 60, (ii) over the age of 25 and (iii) under the age of 25 years,  (b) men and  (c) women holding a full UK driving licence were convicted of (A) speeding offences and (B) dangerous driving in (1) Jarrow constituency, (2) South Tyneside, (3) the north east and (4) England and Wales in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people  (a) over and  (b) under the age of 25 who did not hold a full UK driving licence were convicted of dangerous driving offences in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the north east and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: Information held centrally by my Department on convictions for motoring offences does not identify whether the offender held a UK or other driving licence (full or provisional). Possession of a licence can only be inferred through the nature of specific offences such as driving while disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence or failing to produce driving licence etc. Information is available at police force area level only.

Driving Offences: Speed Limits

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many drivers were given endorsements for speeding offences in the last five years for which data are available.

Maria Eagle: Available information taken from the fixed penalty notices collection and the Court Proceedings Database held by my Department, from 2000 to 2004 (latest available) are provided in the following tables.
	2005 data will be available later this year.
	
		
			  Table A: Fixed penalty notices issued( 1) , for speeding offences( 2) , 2000 to 2004: England and Wales 
			  Thousand 
			   Fixed penalty notices issued 
			 2000 989 
			 2001 1,233 
			 2002 1,505 
			 2003 2,078 
			 2004 1,924 
			 (1) Endorsements on driving licences given out by the police (fixed penalty notices). (2) Including speeding offences detected by camera. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Total endorsements( 1)  without disqualifications, on findings of guilt, imposed at all courts for speeding offences( 2) , 2000 to 2004: England and Wales 
			  Number of offences  (T housand) 
			   Total findings of guilt  Endorsements without disqualification 
			 2000 141 126 
			 2001 136 116 
			 2002 125 106 
			 2003 140 119 
			 2004 143 126 
			 (1) Excludes penalty points given under section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (totting up system). (2) Including speeding offences detected by camera.  Notes:  1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Driving: Licences

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many drivers have lost their licences through disqualification under the penalty points system in the last five years for which data are available.

Maria Eagle: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by my Department, from 2000 to 2004 (latest available) is provided in the following table.
	2005 data will be available later this year.
	
		
			  Persons disqualified( 1)  at all courts under section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (penalty points system), England and Wales, 2000-04 
			   Number of persons 
			 2000 33,600 
			 2001 30,100 
			 2002 30,500 
			 2003 33,300 
			 2004 30,900 
			 (1) Disqualifications under section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Immigration: Judges

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many part-time fee paid immigration judges were appointed in each of the last two years; and how many days in total were sat by those persons in that time.

Bridget Prentice: In each calendar year since 2005, the number of fee-paid immigration judges appointed by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) and the total number of sitting days for those judges are in the following table.
	
		
			   New fee paid judges appointed  Sittings 
			 2005 0 n/a 
			 2006 135 2468.5 
			 2007 3 31

Members: Correspondence

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration will reply to the letter of 31 July from the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham.

David Hanson: The hon. Member's letter was transferred to my Department on 17 August, as I have ministerial responsibility for prisons. I wrote to the hon. Member on 10 October. I apologise for the delay.

Prison Service: Strikes

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether additional payments were made to prison staff who worked through the strike by prison officers in August 2007; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Additional payments were made to some prison staff who worked through the POA strike on 29 August 2007. These payments were made in line with the Prison Service performance recognition scheme which allows managers to award a special bonus payment as an exceptional measure to give prompt and tangible recognition to those staff who have given an outstanding performance.

Departments: Serials

Mark Hoban: To ask the Leader of the House to which periodicals her office subscribes.

Helen Goodman: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons subscribes to  The New Statesman,  Spectator,  Tribune,  The Economist and  Prospect.

Home Affairs Committee

Simon Burns: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 920-1, on the work of the Home Affairs Committee, 
	(1)  what work programme was undertaken by the Home Affairs Committee during the summer recess;
	(2)  how much was paid to the chairman of the Home Affairs Committee for the undertaking of that role between 26( )July and 8 October.

Helen Goodman: The work programme for select committees of the House is a matter for the individual committees. Information on the activities of each committee is available from the select committee calendar and current inquiries list (available on the Parliament website) on individual committee websites. For additional information the hon. Member should write to the chairman of the committee concerned.
	The chairman of the Home Affairs Committee was paid £2,749.68 (gross) during the period 26 July to 8 October.

UK Youth Parliament

David Drew: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the UK Youth Parliament on its future programme.

Helen Goodman: I have been asked to reply.
	On 3 July 2007, the Prime Minister proposed inviting the UK Youth Parliament to meet in the Commons. As the Prime Minister said in his statement, this is principally a matter for the Speaker and my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House has been liaising with the Speaker on how best to take this forward.

Cars

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment the Government has made of the top speeds of the most popular cars currently using British roads and of trends in the advertised top speeds of vehicles sold in the UK.

Jim Fitzpatrick: pursuant to the reply, 8 October 2007, Official Report, c. 84W
	I should like to make clear that it is the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) that is responsible for the pre-transmission examination and clearance of television advertisements, and not the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Driving Tests: Standards

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what duty her Department has to report to the police or any other relevant authority if a driver assessed by the Driving Standards Agency's driver quality monitoring programme is judged to be unacceptable with serious faults or unacceptable with dangerous faults.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The driver quality monitoring assessment is not a driving test, but an assessment of the driver on behalf of the bus operator. If a driver commits a serious or dangerous fault this will be relayed to the bus operator who will then follow their own internal procedures. The Driving Standards Agency does not have a duty to report this to the police or any other relevant authority.

Driving: Standards

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Driver Quality Monitoring (DQM) programme is; how DQM assessments are conducted on bus drivers; against what scoring system drivers are assessed; and how much DQM generated for the Driving Standards Agency in each financial year since 2000-01.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Driver Quality Monitoring (DQM) is a non-statutory service the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) performs on behalf of bus companies. Assessors travel incognito on random bus routes and assess the ability of the driver over a 20-minute period. The Assessors then prepare a report for the relevant bus operator.
	The scoring system on which the drivers are assessed is:
	A four band score against 10 aspects of passenger consideration (supporting explanatory comments given)
	A four band score against 13 aspects of driving ability (supporting explanatory comments given)
	Box 1 = Fully acceptable,
	Box 2 = Acceptable with some driving faults,
	Box 3 = Unacceptable with serious faults,
	Box 4 = Unacceptable with dangerous faults.
	Nine safety comments (Such as handling cash in motion or talking to person while driving)
	This is in addition to other aspects against which an operator may require feedback such as service frequency, uniform being worn.
	DSA has received the income in the following table since 2003-04.
	DSA had not recorded income before 2003-04.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2000-01 n/a 
			 2001-02 n/a 
			 2002-03 n/a 
			 2003-04 375,172.18 
			 2004-05 355,119.42 
			 2005-06 395,686.33 
			 2006-07 416,804.76 
			 n/a = not available

Driving: Standards

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which companies hired the Driver Standards Agency to conduct driver quality monitoring in each financial year since 2000-01

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of companies for which the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) conducts Driving Quality Monitoring is in the following table, split into financial years.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2000-01 2 
			 2001-02 2 
			 2002-03 9 
			 2003-04 12 
			 2004-05 12 
			 2005-06 9 
			 2006-07 11 
		
	
	DSA cannot name the companies involved, due to the nature of the contractual relationship.

Fishing Vessels: Safety

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has had with Irish Water Safety on the Irish experience of the impact of the introduction of compulsory personal flotation devices for fishing crews and some leisure sailors; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have been monitoring the experience of the Irish Department of Transport Maritime Safety Directorate with interest and regular contact has taken place regarding the introduction of regulations requiring the wearing of personal flotation devices.
	Research has also recently been undertaken by MCA to assess the approach taken to the wearing of lifejackets adopted by other countries, and the effect on casualty statistics, and MCA are currently reviewing the findings.
	On a daily basis, the MCA reviews maritime leisure fatalities to assess whether the wearing or carrying of a lifejacket might have saved a life.
	On the basis of this ongoing work, the National Water Safety Forum have recently approved an initiative by the MCA and in partnership with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Royal Yachting Association and the British Marine Federation to investigate a three to five-year national lifejacket campaign.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Motor Vehicles

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the environmental effects of encouraging the use of liquefied petroleum gas and other low emissions vehicles; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Recent research undertaken by the Department suggests that, by comparison with petrol-powered equivalents, cars professionally retrofitted to run on liquefied petroleum gas may offer some advantage in terms of CO2 emissions, but generally perform no better in terms of air quality emissions than the equivalent petrol vehicles. The findings of the research will be available on the Department for Transport website at www.dft.gov.uk and copies will be available in the Libraries of the House.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent estimate is of the number of vehicles which should have an MOT safety test but do not.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A national vehicle and driver compliance check undertaken by the police in 2006 showed that, of the vehicles stopped, 4.2 per cent. were without a valid MOT certificate. This equates to approximately one million vehicles which should have a valid MOT certificate, but do not. The report is published on the Department for Transport website at
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/roadspolicingoperationv79/
	and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Transport: Costs

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates she has made of the percentage change in real terms of the cost of travelling using  (a) domestic air services and  (b) cross-country train services since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The change in the real cost of travelling by domestic air services since 1997 is not available.
	Data are not available for cross-country rail services. However, in Table 5.1 of National Rail Trends (see weblink) published by the Office for Rail Regulation a breakdown of rail fares by type of operator is shown.
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/330-rev3.pdf

Transport: Livestock

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will set out the details of the relaxation of drivers hours restrictions for the transport of livestock, including the period for which the relaxation will apply, arising from the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Surrey.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The changes to the requirements of Regulation (EC) 561/2006 apply only to drivers who are wholly or mainly engaged in transporting cattle, pigs and sheep (including lambs) in connection with meeting the exceptional circumstances arising as a consequence of the foot and mouth outbreak.
	They are:
	A daily driving limit of 10 hours (instead of the current nine hours);
	A weekly rest period of 24 hours (instead of the current 45 hours);
	No weekly or fortnightly driving time limits (currently 56 and 90 hours).
	There is no change to the requirements for daily rest and breaks.
	Drivers are also subject to the provisions of the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 which impose limits on total working time (ie the period when a driver is at work rather than just driving). These regulations impose a maximum weekly limit of 60 hours. To allow drivers to use the full amount of additional driving time allowed, the weekly working time limit is raised by 10 per cent. from 60 to 66 hours (the maximum permissible under EU legislation).
	The relaxation will remain in place initially until 4 November, but the situation will be kept closely under review with the relaxation either being revoked sooner or extended if appropriate. The approval of the European Commission would be required for any extension. Industry will be informed at that time.

Northern Rock

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the terms on which he has engaged Goldman Sachs to advise him on Northern Rock.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 8 October 2007
	Goldman Sachs has been jointly engaged by HM Treasury and the Financial Services Authority to advise on the implications of the announcement made on 17 September that, should it prove necessary, HM Treasury with the Bank of England, would put in place arrangements to safeguard existing depositors of Northern Rock.

Smuggling: Boats

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the threat to the UK, of the smuggling of  (a) firearms,  (b) other items subject to an import prohibition, through uncanalised yacht and pleasure craft traffic; and if he will make a statement.

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the threat presented to the UK of smuggling firearms and other items subject to an import prohibition through uncanalised yacht and pleasure craft traffic;

Jane Kennedy: Yachts and pleasure craft represent a very small fraction of the vehicles entering and leaving the UK which HM Revenue and Customs deals with on a regular basis. HMRC assesses the threat posed by this form of transport as part of its overall approach to tackling smuggling.
	HMRC is an intelligence-led organisation which works in partnership with other customs and law enforcement agencies, both within and outside the UK, to identify and tackle the threats posed, and deploys its resources accordingly.

Taxation: Tobacco

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much net revenue was raised through the sale of tobacco products in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: The details of tobacco excise duty revenue figures for recent years are published by HM Revenue and Customs in Table 3 of the Tobacco Bulletin which can be found on its website at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulltobacco
	HMRC do not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.

Domestic Violence

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the support available to victims of domestic violence; and if she will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: We have transformed the support available for the victims of domestic violence, which often has far reaching effects not only for themselves but also their families, particularly children.
	This includes £3 million to fund independent domestic violence advisers with a commitment to ongoing funding for services, £2 million to fund the local delivery of support services for victims and their children and £59 million for housing-related support through the Supporting People Programme.
	However this is an abhorrent crime which can never be justified therefore we have undertaken the biggest overhaul in legislation in 30 years to protect victims and stamp it out. The Government are determined to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable for their action which is why we have increasing the number of Specialist Domestic Violence Courts from 25 to 64.

Freemen's Guilds

David Taylor: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent estimate the Government has made of the proportion of women belonging to freemen's guilds in England; and if she will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: We have made no estimate of the proportion of women belonging to Freemen's guilds in England. Such information is not held centrally. We are aware that some Guilds do not feel that they can admit the daughters of Freemen, given the terms of their Charter or custom in the area. We agree that such ancient traditions should not be restricted to men and will bear this in mind should a suitable legislative opportunity become available.

Child Care

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the availability of child care for women seeking further and higher education.

Barbara Follett: The Childcare Act 2006 requires local authorities in England to assess child care in their areas by April 2008, and then to secure sufficient child care for working parents and those in education or training leading to work. These assessments will highlight demand for child care, including from student parents. I understand that the Welsh Assembly Government will bring the Childcare Act 2006 duties in Wales into force following the conclusion of their budget setting process.

Comptroller and Auditor General: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to paragraph 14 of the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on the National Insurance Fund Account 2003-04, (HC 197, 2004-05), what criteria were used to determine which people over state pension age should receive letters from his Department; and how many were  (a) men and  (b) women.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 8 October 2007
	 In the exercise that ran for 12 months from 27 September 2004 DWP wrote to pensioners who:
	reached state pension age between 6 April 1998 and 24 October 2004; and
	were not receiving a full basic state pension in their own right, or not receiving a pension; and
	had a deficient national insurance contribution record in any of the years between 1996-97 and 2001-02; and would have received a deficiency notice from HMRC.
	The Department also wrote to:
	those customers living abroad who were also in the United Kingdom at the time and met the criteria above;
	customers reaching state pension age between 6 April 2004 and 24 October 2004 who had a deficient national insurance contribution in their final relevant year tax year 2003-04 and 2002-03;
	customers who had already paid voluntary class 3 national insurance contributions at either the standard rate or the higher rate and who were refunded the difference, and
	customers who had paid voluntary class 3 national insurance contributions and did not have their state pension backdated to state pension age in line with the easements introduced with this exercise.
	only those customers who could benefit from the payment of class 3 national insurance contributions were contacted.
	The Department does not hold management information on the gender split of letters issued during this exercise.

Departments: Scotland

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what dates the Scotland Forum of the Regional Change Implementation Programme Executives has met; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The following gives the meeting dates of this forum by year since 2004.
	 2004
	6 July
	26 August
	30 November
	 2005
	18 January
	16 February
	7 March
	12 April
	26 May
	5 July
	12 September
	31 October
	 2006
	17 January
	12 April
	17 May
	5 July
	14 August
	5 October
	5 December
	 2007
	7 February
	21 March
	23 May
	11 July

Employment: Foreigners

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of jobs created since 1997 which have been filled by immigrants, asylum seekers and foreign nationals who have arrived in the UK since 1997.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 8 October 2007
	 Labour Force Survey figures show that in 1997 there were 1.1 million foreign nationals in employment in the UK. In the intervening period over half (0.6 million) of these individuals have moved out of employment or have left the country, while 1.4 million foreign nationals are recorded as in employment having arrived in the UK. Accounting for these flows into and out of the UK, the total number of foreign nationals in employment in the year to the second quarter of 2007 is 1.9 million, a rise of 0.8 million since 1997. Data broken down for asylum seekers is not available.

Incapacity Benefit: Appeals

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons a general practitioner may not attend an appeal hearing with their client with respect to an application for incapacity benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Appeal hearings in respect of incapacity benefit decisions are heard by appeal tribunals which are constituted by the Lord Chancellor and are independent. The tribunal has an inquisitorial function and the attendance of the appellant is encouraged to present their case which may include any written or oral evidence from those who may support their appeal such as medical practitioners. There is nothing in the tribunal rules that would exclude an appellant's general practitioner from attending such an appeal hearing.

Local Housing Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with local authorities on the provision of advice on the roll out of the local housing allowance in 2008.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 8 October 2007
	 The Department for Work and Pensions has an extensive programme of support and advice to help local authorities with the introduction of the local housing allowance (LHA) in 2008.
	The Department delivered 19 regional seminars for local authorities throughout summer 2007. A range of implementation and guidance products have already been made available to assist local authorities with specific activities, based largely on examples of good practice provided by LHA pathfinder authorities.
	The Department will continue to provide communications, advice and support to local authorities in the run-up to the roll out of the LHA in April 2008. This will include an LHA guidance manual and a training brief for local authority staff.

Local Housing Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional financial resources will be made available to  (a) local authorities and  (b) advice agencies for the provision of advice on the roll out of the local housing allowance in 2008.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 8 October 2007
	 The Department for Work and Pensions has provided local authorities with £59 million to support the implementation of the local housing allowance (LHA).
	This is intended to support the range of activities local authorities will need to undertake in order to implement the LHA effectively, including setting up appropriate structures to provide financial advice to their customers. This includes an element of funding for the provision of financial advice to customers and local authorities are free to choose how this funding is spent—including financing arrangements with advice agencies if they wish to do so.

Pensioners: Poverty

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the impact on pensioner poverty if take up of council tax benefit were 100 per cent.

James Plaskitt: We have made good progress in tackling pensioner poverty. Since 1997 the number of pensioners living in relative poverty, based on a threshold of 60 per cent. of contemporary median income after housing costs, has fallen by 1.1 million, from 2.9 million to 1.8 million in 2005-06.
	Take up of council tax benefit of 100 per cent. is estimated to reduce the number of pensioners below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income after housing costs by around 200,000, based on 2007-08 benefit rates.

Social Security Benefits: Separation

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who claimed benefit for the first time due to marriage breakdown in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Winter Fuel Payments

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the case for the extension of the winter fuel allowance to terminally ill people;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely cost of extending the winter fuel allowance to terminally ill people.

Mike O'Brien: The structure of the scheme, which provides an annual lump sum payment, is not appropriate for the needs of terminally ill people. Entitlement is based on a person's circumstances in a qualifying week which is the third full week in September. The process to establish entitlement then takes a further six weeks and payments are made in November and December. This ensures that older people are confident that they will be able to afford the heating that they use in the coldest part of the year. The extra heating needs of terminally ill people can arise at any time of year, not just in the winter months. Help is available for terminally ill people through the care and mobility components in disability living allowance and the disability premiums in the income related benefits which have a substantially higher annual value and are spread over a 52 week period.
	People who are terminally ill can receive the highest rate of the care component of disability living allowance without having to serve the three months qualifying period and the benefit is usually paid within 10 days from the time the claim is received. Most people who qualify for the highest rate disability living allowance care component under these special rules also qualify for the highest rate disability living allowance mobility component. Also, where a disability premium is paid in an income related benefit, a cold weather payment is payable in periods of very cold weather. Together, these payments are designed to meet the extra costs, including heating, of terminally ill people.
	The annual cost of extending winter fuel payments to people aged under 60 receiving disability living allowance under the special rules related to a terminal illness is estimated at approximately £6 million.